Sorry, this feature is only available to TPM Prime members

Dont ever miss an article again.New To You shows you everything posted since your last visit in a simple, scrollable list.
More Info →

Eric Lach

Follow @ericlach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website?s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl@talkingpointsmemo.com

Articles by
Eric

All year, we've been hearing from Tea Party candidates who think Washington politicians have lost touch with average Americans. As a Nazi reenactor, Ohio Tea Party Republican congressional candidate Rich Iott has some harsh words for one of those professional politicians who just happens to be a Republican: House Minority Whip Eric Cantor. On CNN this afternoon, Iott, who was recently outed as a Nazi reenactment enthusiast, called Cantor out for repudiating him on Fox News Sunday yesterday. Iott even compared Cantor to a Democrat.

The three candidates for governor in Minnesota met for a debate today in St. Paul, and argued over budget issues, health care and education. And then, at one point, a talking baby doll made an appearance.

When Tom Tancredo first entered the Colorado gubernatorial race, it was seen as a obstructive act of defiance. Early polls showed him in third place, far behind the front-runner, Democrat John Hickenlooper, and ruining any electoral chance for Republican nominee Dan Maes (whose dysfunctional candidacy is in part what spurred Tancredo's run).

But since then, Maes' campaign has crumbled even further, while Tancredo has been raising money, rising in the polls and gaining endorsements. In the process, he's switched his focus from bashing Maes to attacking Hickenlooper. And though he still trails Hickenlooper by a bunch, the message is clear: Tancredo is playing to win.

Locked in a tight race, the candidates for Senate in Illinois appeared on Meet The Press today, and debated issues including tax cuts, health care and spending. Democrat Alexi Giannoulias and Republican Rep. Mark Kirk also faced questions about the scandals that have marred each of their campaigns.

Rich Iott, the Tea Party Republican running against Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), has responded to the publicizing of the fact that one of his hobbies is dressing up and pretending to be a Nazi in reenactments.

West Virginia Democratic Senate candidate Gov. Joe Manchin is quickly trying to capitalize on the news that a casting call for an ad against him sought "hickey" actors. A new ad by Manchin's campaign hammers his Republican opponent John Raese, and puts the blame for the incident on Raese's shoulders.

The search continues for the body of Texan David Hartley, the American man who was reportedly shot while he and his wife were jet skiing on the Mexican side of a border-straddling lake. David's wife, Tiffany Hartley, has made many media appearances during the week, and has become the face of the incident. But Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez is the one who first told reporters he suspected lake "pirates" were to blame for the alleged shooting, which put the story on the national radar. And it turns out this isn't the first time Gonzalez has been in the national press talking up threats from south of the border.

An analysis of the shirt worn by Pinal County Arizona Sheriff Deputy Louie Puroll on the day he says he was shot by drug smugglers has come back negative for gunpowder, suggesting the shot was not fired from close range, as some experts who had examined photos of Puroll had suggested to a Phoenix New Times reporter. The test lends support to Puroll's account of the incident, which was questioned by the pathologists and other experts contacted by the New Times. Sheriff Paul Babeu told reporters yesterday that the matter is now closed.

Dan Maes has taken another step on his quest for the title of "saddest candidate of 2010." The Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate has lost support, trails in the polls and is out of funds. But he's making the most with what he's got. And yesterday, Maes proudly announced that Palin has decided to endorse him. What? No. Not Sarah Palin. Jim Palin, Sarah's father-in-law.